The Princess's Banquet
by Abicion
Summary: No, Orihime.  You are the demons.
1. Chapter 1

With an angered grunt, Ichigo wrenched his sword through the locked cell door in front of him a final time. He had traveled into the depths of the Las Noches stronghold to rescue Orihime, and this was the last obstacle in his path. The lock broke apart in a resounding clank, and door was thrown open by Ichigo's might. As he returned the weapon to the sheath on his back, he gazed the solitary figure standing in the room.

Orihime was wearing a white and black Arrancar dress, standing with her back facing the door. She was staring silently out of the prison window toward the night sky, with a slither of moonlight shining off of her long orange-brown hair. When Ichigo and his friends forcefully entered the room, she gasped softly and peered over her shoulder. Her cheeks were marked by tiny traces of the endless tears she had shed in her time of loneliness and despair, and her wide eyes sparkled with the first hint of happiness she had probably felt in months. Overwhelmed with surprise, she quietly spoke toward her hero.

"Ichi... go...?"

The young swordsman quickly returned her joyous expression and ran forward to greet her.

"Orihime, I'm so glad you're all ri-..."

His words were abruptly cut short when he began groaning in agony. Orihime had punched with her right fist the moment he was in the correct range, plunging her tactful fingers through his black Soul Society kimono and straight into the left side of his chest. When she retrieved her blood-soaked hand, she yanked Ichigo's heart out along with it and brought the still-throbbing organ to her mouth. The rest of Ichigo's party watched from the doorway in horror as the doomed boy collapsed to the floor and Orihime began cheerfully devouring the flesh in her hand, absorbing his warrior essence. She giggled and spoke in a muffled voice between bites.

"You're delicious, Kurosaki-kun."

When she was finished with her meal, she closed her eyes and licked some of the remaining blood from her fingers. Her jolly attitude was interrupted when her eyes opened and she peered down to see the crimson that was now smeared across her face and staining her dress. She pouted to herself in disappointment.

"Hmph. I wish humans weren't so messy."

She temporarily closed her eyes again and meditated. This caused the blood on her face, hand, and dress to quickly disappear, restoring her original beauty. Her naive smile then returned as before.

"That's better."

She turned her attention to the remaining heroes cautiously entering the room. As she peered toward them with a playful grin, each member saw her eyes flicker in a haunting display. For just a split second, her eyes turned into empty black orbs with yellow irises, then returned to their usual appearance. Orihime had become a Hollow.

With Ichigo down, Rukia now stood in front of the group that had come to rescue the captive healer. Her expression was one of shock and disgust, and she struggled to question Orihime's grotesque actions.

"Or-... Orihime, what happened to you?"

The undead girl sighed and shook her head.

"I got bored of waiting for you guys to save me, so I offered some of my power to the Arrancar in exchange for being freed."

Rukia knew this had to be an oversimplified version of the truth, and something far more traumatizing must have brought Orihime to this fate. Regardless, it was too late to save her. Orihime didn't seem to mind this, however, and her jovial attitude remained intact. She pointed toward one of the flower-shaped hair clips decorating her temples as she continued speaking.

"Once he saw how strong I was, Aizen decided to make me the Princess of the Espada."

She tucked an extended index finger under her chin and looked upward in thought before shrugging.

"Umm... I'm not really sure what that means, but it sounds cool."

When Orihime finished speaking, Rukia grit her teeth and questioned her in a more rageful tone. She found herself at odds with accepting the truth.

"But why are they still keeping you captive? This... this has to be some kind of joke!"

Orihime tilted her head before answering with a bubbly smile.

"Oh, this? It was a trap set up by Aizen. He figured Ichigo would walk right into it if I pretended to still be human."

She then turned toward Ichigo's body as it lay in a pool of its own blood. Her character remained as chipper as ever, never conveying the slightest hint of remorse.

"I'm glad he got here as quickly as he did. I hate being cooped up in this smelly place."

She looked forward again, finally lowering her head in a modest display of shame.

"I hope you guys can forgive me for tricking you."

Rukia's final reservations gave way at these words, and she growled as she reached toward her back to draw her sword. Orihime blinked as she watched the rest of Rukia's colleagues do the same, and she clapped her hands in innocent enthusiasm before answering their challenge.

"Oh, you want to fight? Okay!"

She lowered her arms to her sides and meditated again, causing a pair of ivory-colored scimitars to appear in her hands. Just when the opposing group was about to charge her, the petals on her hair decorations began to glow. They quickly divided into specks of light that flew from the hairpins and hovered over the attackers in a dome formation. The party was then engulfed in a translucent black sphere projected by the floating lights, and each member soon dropped their weapon and clutched their chest in pain.

With the threat neutralized, Orihime walked into the sphere with an energetic bounce in her step. As each member of Rukia's party remained paralyzed on the ground in various stages of cardiac arrest, Orihime hummed to herself and butchered her opponents. When the last mutilated warrior was dead, the mystical forcefield disappeared, the lights returned to Orihime's hairpins, and the twin blades faded from the cursed princess's hands.

After casually studying the carnage splayed around her, Orihime shook her head and pouted again.

"Aww, it's no fun when you're so weak."

Her cheery demeanor returned moments later, when Aizen and several of his lieutenants ran into the room and inspected the result of Orihime's battle with awe. The Espada leader spoke with a look of genuine concern on his face.

"Are you all right, milady? I didn't realize the intruders got here so quickly. I came as soon as I could to support you."

Orihime turned her head a few degrees to the side in an attempt to hide the blush that had appeared on her cheeks.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that."

She then looked forward again when her confident smile returned.

"Ichigo's team wasn't as tough as they look. I was fine on my own."

When she finished speaking, her sandaled feet took a few steps toward Aizen. When she was close enough, she wrapped her arms over his shoulders and rested the side of her head on his chest. Her ample bosom lightly pressed against him as she closed her eyes and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"I really missed you, Lord Aizen."

Aizen silently raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. The girl had developed an unexpected attachment toward him since her conversion, and he wasn't sure how to return her unique advances. Instead, he simply cleared his throat and spoke in an official manner.

"There are a few stragglers we need to take care of, Orihime. I'd like you to assist my men as soon as you're ready."

Orihime lifted her head and gave a delighted nod in response.

"Of course. Anything for you."

With the current matter settled, the Arrancar team left the prison cell with Orihime happily at Aizen's side. When they reached the massive palace's conference room, they began plotting their next plan of attack.


	2. Chapter 2

Tite Kubo's official backstory for Orihime's new Arrancar-inspired outfit: "Oh look Urahara made me a new dress lolboobs aren't I cute?"

Abicion's revisionist backstory for Orihime's new Arrancar-inspired outfit: This.

* * *

><p>ALEXANDER WEPT WHEN THERE WERE NO MORE WORLDS TO CONQUER, but Aizen certainly didn't. The Hogyuko allowed him to create a new world, while the Princess had helped him destroy the meddling old one. He stood on his balcony looking at his work with a satisfied grin on his face.<p>

When Orihime approached his side in silence, he already knew what she wanted. She had been trying to win over his adoration ever since she joined the Arrancar, but he always kept their relationship professional. He shifted his eyes in her direction without directly acknowledging her, curious to see what she was going to try now.

Today's game turned out to be choosing the ideal royal makeover. It started with Orihime's hair. She experimented with a vast array of styles and colors before she stopped at a relatively basic combination: It was her natural auburn hair, only with her bangs grown out several inches and draped over her ears. When Aizen wouldn't even react with a simple "Milady," she moved on to her wardrobe. She had been wearing the same style of Arrancar dress ever since she arrived in Las Noches, but now she was making small alterations here and there. The sleeves separated themselves from the rest of her dress to reveal her nimble shoulders underneath. The circular design on the outside of her skirt disappeared while the fabric blended into a single solid layer. Some of the dress's black trim changed to light blue. Her cape unraveled from her back, giving her an overall more dainty look that was still distinctly Arrancar. When her master still wouldn't give her a passing mention, she started to pout to herself and she struggled for more ideas. When she resumed her work, the entire dress split into two pieces at her midriff. This revealed the lightly toned physique she had developed since becoming a frontline fighter.

Aizen cleared his throat to signal she was heading in the right direction. Orihime remained silent, but look on her face screamed pure joy.

The Princess's power seemed like a simple magic trick at the moment, but it had extraordinary potential. She had the ability to manipulate space and time any way she liked, given she had her heart set on something. Any wise leader would have been able to see why she was such a valuable weapon. Her personality remained a bit on the childish side, but Aizen had gradually begun to enjoy her company. She was a pleasant change from the sadists and social recluses who served as his other elites.

The collar of Orihime's dress folded itself downward. A small flower-shaped brooch emerged to decorate her neck. Aizen wondered if she could make it functional in battle like the pins in her hair. The center of Orihime's new blouse split open to reveal some of the Princess's personal treasures. Aizen finally turned toward her when something caught his eye.

"Ah, I keep forgetting about that!"

Orihime glanced down at a small imperfection in her cleavage. Instead of being marked like the other Arrancar with a black circle in the center of her chest, she bore a unique tiara-shaped scar on her left breast. It was a vestige of what she had been, and a sacred symbol of what she had become.

* * *

><p>The coronation, as it were, was a rather intricate affair. They had kept her in the Las Noches prison in almost total isolation until she was ripe. It was that brief moment when she began to doubt if Ichigo would ever rescue her, the moment where she let go of hope and her heart became empty. That temporary feeling of helplessness and abandonment was all Aizen needed. She probably would have hung on longer if she knew what was in store for her.<p>

They brought her to the throne room with no time to spare. All of the Arrancar had gathered there, with the ten Espada forming an inner circle around the altar. The severity of the situation only began to strike Orihime when she caught a glimpse the royal dagger in Aizen's hand. The knife resembled a smaller version of the twin scimitars she would later materialize for herself.

The nobles pinned her to the altar and ripped open the front of her dress. Aizen aligned the dagger to her chest, as carefully as her struggling would allow. She was alive when they started to cut her.

Orihime's heart managed to beat for a few pitiful seconds in Aizen's hand. Once it gave up trying to live, he lifted it into the air so his followers could see the trophy. Loly suggested they should call this ritual the Blood Fairy, as the way Orihime's blood had flowed down her sides and pooled on the altar gave the appearance of tiny crimson wings sprouting from her back.

Then came the moment of truth. Aizen gave the heart a tiny kiss of respect, then allowed his followers to approach the altar and do the same. Each kiss transferred a tiny portion of that Arrancar's power. One by one, the entire Arrancar army filled Orihime's heart with their offerings of fealty. This was why the timing had been so important. She would have been left dead on that altar if Aizen had become impatient and tried to coronate her too soon. If her feelings toward her human friends were too strong and there was too much hope left in her heart, then there wouldn't be enough room for the Arrancar's twisted love. The ceremony would fail and they would never be able to bring her back.

Fortunately for Aizen, his patience was about to reward him. Once the last of his followers had shown their admiration for Orihime, her heart slowly but surely began to beat again. Aizen returned the vessel to its proper home and stepped back from the altar. Orihime's heart now belonged to the Arrancar, but soon the Arrancar would belong to her. All they could do was wait for the girl's natural power to take care of the rest. She alone would be able to become the Princess of the Espada, while anyone else would have come back as a mindless Hollow monster.

First her wound started to heal. Then her dress was repaired by an invisible seamstress. Her chest rose and fell in soft, relaxed breaths. When she finally had the strength to wake up, she was the beloved Princess she is now. All of the Arrancar, including the great Aizen himself, bowed to their knees when Orihime climbed off the altar and wobbled to her feet.

* * *

><p>"All better. Now you won't have to look at that ugly thing."<p>

The scar disappeared completely under Orihime's will, leaving her with a perfect unblemished bosom. She looked up into Aizen's eyes with an innocent smile to see if he would approve. Aizen, however, was disappointed by her attempt to appear more human. The mark on her chest only reminded him of how much he had conquered.

"There's no need to hide your birthmark, Princess. I feel it only adds to your beauty."

The scar reappeared as her cheeks turned red.

"Aww. Thanks, Lord Aizen. I'll keep it out just for you."

Orihime had won enough of his attention for today. She settled for looking out from balcony at Aizen's side, sharing his view of the new world. After she rested her head on his shoulder and let out a content sigh, however, Aizen decided he was ready to take things further. She seemed dumbfounded when he unexpectedly leaned toward her to give her what she always wanted, but her shyness quickly faded. Her eyes closed as she happily moved her lips toward his.

Aizen kissed the Princess for the first time.


End file.
